2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, and both the studio and theme parks have been promoting all sorts of magical events and extras to celebrate the massive year-long event. From exclusive events at Disneyland to wide arrays of merchandise including a special edition Hyundai, fans won’t easily forget Disney100.
That all being said, that doesn’t mean every choice Disney has made has necessarily been a winner. In fact, despite it being the company’s 100th anniversary, the way it has done a tremendous service to half its dedicated fanbase is certainly appalling.
Disney100 Should Have Been Done Better
Although the statement above sounds more like a severe case of whining, Disney’s efforts have only been enjoyed by a fraction of its intended audience. It’s not that the company hasn’t made efforts to bring the Disney100 celebration to all of its fans, but rather Disney didn’t go far enough with its choices.
True, the company has done a lot in terms of promotional material, merchandise, and special seasonal events, but certain events in both the Disney Parks and the movie theaters have been found lacking. Loungefly bags and stuffed animals will only get you so far.
For starters, Disneyland has been the hotbed of Disney100 activity, giving the Park decor and even Character Meet and Greets a special anniversary makeover. That’s all perfectly fine and even demanded, since it was Walt’s original Park. However, why should the fans on the east coast be neglected in the process?
For the resort named after its founder, Walt Disney World has been struggling to live off of Disneyland’s table scraps ever since the 100th anniversary was announced. Even with the turmoil with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis off the table, the company has been blatantly playing favorites for a long while.
While Disneyland has been stomping its Florida counterpart for the past two years or so, it’s evolved into an immensely unbecoming quality. While Walt’s original gets a year-long resort-wide celebration, Disney World gets barely half a year and only EPCOT gets the glitz and glamor treatment.
Additionally, Disney has chosen to re-release several of its popular cinematic masterpieces between July 7 and October 26, 2023. Although that’s a wonderful idea and a great way to remember what made the studio a household name in the first place, Disney still isn’t doing enough.
For starters, the movie selection only covers a few of the more modern titles, rather than say one film for each decade to show the evolution of Disney’s movies. Secondly, the films are only showing in ten select theaters nationwide. Once more, Disney truly drops the ball for its fans.
Related: Disney World Severely Cuts Hours, Permanently Changing
For essentially dominating the entertainment industry for the last century, Disney really hasn’t lived up to fan expectations when everything’s said and done. Whether that’s due to corporate, social climate, or management is a different can of worms. That said, the magic of Disney is quickly draining, and it’s definitely enough for this fan to notice.
Do you feel shortchanged by Disney100? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!